At its biannual meeting Oct. 18-19, the Board of Trustees of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions elected as its chair Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid. The board met in Williams Bay, Wis.

1. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions elects Imam Abdul Malik
Mujahid chair of board of trustees
CHICAGO (Oct. 29, 2009) — At its biannual meeting Oct. 18-19, the Board of Trustees
of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions elected as its chair Imam Abdul
Malik Mujahid. The board met in Williams Bay, Wis.
Imam Mujahid’s term begins Jan. 1, 2010. He succeeds the Rev. Dr. William E. Lesher,
who has served as chair since 2003. Imam Mujahid is an imam in the Chicago Muslim
community and president of Sound Vision Foundation, which produces Radio Islam,
America’s only daily Muslim call-in talk show.
The Rev. Dr. Lesher said he considers Imam Mujahid “marvelously equipped” to serve as
the board’s highest elected officer.
“He brings to the chair a deep commitment to his own faith tradition,” the Rev. Dr.
Lesher said. “He is a recognized leader in that tradition. He has a understanding of how
religion is a force in American society and also in societies throughout the world.”
The organization traces its roots to the 1893 Parliament of the World’s Religions, which
took place in conjunction with the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. In 1993
the council organized and hosted the first modern Parliament of the World’s Religions,
also in Chicago. Subsequent Parliaments have been held in 1999 in Cape Town, South
Africa; and in 2004 in Barcelona, Spain.
“Most older things are known to fade away, but the Parliament is a phenomenon that
constantly reinvents itself,” Imam Mujahid said. “We were ahead of our ourselves in
Cape Town when we started engaging guiding institutions around the world on
sustainability,” Imam Mujahid said. “Now it’s the talk of the town.”
The organization is preparing for the fourth modern Parliament to be held Dec. 3-9 in
Melbourne, Australia. As part of the Parliament, an Indigenous assembly will convene
Indigenous participants from around the world.
“As we deal with issues of poverty and climate change, we’ll be nourishing all of our
discourse with the perspective of Indigenous people—who happen to suffer the most
from the excessive consumption that drives ruthless economic development,” Imam
Mujahid said.

2. “Little did we know, two or three years ago, that not only we would be focused on
environmental issues and climate change but that the whole world would be with the
Copenhagen Climate Change Conference,” the Rev. Dr. Lesher said.
Imam Mujahid is former chair of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater
Chicago, and has written extensively on religion, public policy and applied aspects of
Islamic living. Imam Mujahid has initiated a joint campaign between American Muslims
and the National Organization of Women to declare rape a war crime.
Also elected to the Board of Trustees of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s
Religions were: the Rev. Ellen Grace O'Brian, vice chair; Dr. Steven Perkins, vice chair;
Ms. Helen Spector, secretary; Mr. William Gifford, treasurer.
The Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions is a 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization, headquartered in Chicago, whose mission is to promote understanding
among adherents of all faiths and spiritual traditions and to foster a peaceful, cohesive
society. www.parliamentofreligions.org
Contact:
Ms. Alisa Roadcup, Outreach Director
Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions
70 E. Lake St., Suite 205
Chicago, IL 60601
312‐629‐2990 ext. 237
alisa@parliamentofreligions.org
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